Red Hot
by Innocentenough
Summary: "Hey." She smiled. "Hey." He smiled back. His smile was like liquid gold and she suddenly felt a lump in a throat as she realized she had no idea what to say to this man. NejixSakura oneshot. The perils they face whilst making the biggest mistake of their young adult lives.


Hi Everyone! Im so sorry for not updating my stories at all - ive just graduated so I have much more time o my hands to get creative and write which is exactly what im doing :) Ive written this first as its been in my head for so long and I just needed to get it out so I can now go back to my other stories to finish them.

Anyway I hope you enjoy! Comments appreciated ;)

xox

She stared in the mirror. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her hair stuck to her head from where she'd slept badly; yet another day off from work. She made no sound as she stared at her stomach. The small chakra signal had made itself known to her about two weeks ago, so she guessed she was around four to six weeks pregnant; there was no way she was going to the hospital to have a scan. She ran a hand over her flat stomach and tried to forget what she was hiding. Another wave of nausea washed over her and she ran to the toilet just in time to empty the acid from her stomach, she grimaced at the taste as she flushed the loo and washed her mouth out. The nausea subsided and she sighed in content as the morning sickness faded and she could begin her day. She turned the shower on and stripped down, waiting for the water to warm up. Her thoughts wandered; it wasn't so bad once the morning sickness was gone, she would often forget what was growing inside of her and lead her usual, busy life. Until the next morning when it would all start again. She usually wouldn't take time off of work either; luckily she's been working night shifts lately, but today was an exception. Today was the day she confronted the person responsible.

She stepped in the shower, the hot water cascading down her curves as she ran her hands through her sweat drenched hair. The rosiness began to return to her cheeks and her eyes were now fully open and awake. She glanced at the clock on the wall opposite; good, it was only 7.30 so he should be meditating; the perfect time for her to 'pounce', so to speak. Her thoughts wandered back to that fateful night as she washed her skin; the way his body had felt on top of her was incredible. It was of course, a mistake, a drunken one at that, but something just felt so right about it, so real, like they were meant to be together. She shook her head at her thoughts, there was no way that he would feel the same but none the less this whole predicament was just as much his fault as it was hers which meant that he was going to help pay for the abortion whether he wanted to or not, there was no way she could afford it on her own. Nerves began to creep their way through her stomach as she imagined seeing him again for the first time since it had happened. The morning after she had woken up to an empty bed and a note saying he had been called for a mission and would speak to her as soon as he was back. He'd been back for a week already and still hadn't spoken to her. Granted, he'd spent most of that in and out of hospital having his injuries treated but still, she worked at the hospital so he could easily of found her and spoken to her about whatever it was he had to say. She grabbed her towel as she jumped out of the shower and rubbed her hair dry. A few strands still stuck to her face as she stared at herself in the mirror again. She carefully turned to the side and stared at her stomach; there was no sign of life, but in her head she felt that people would point and stare. She shook her head again and stalked into her bedroom, picking her clothes up she opted for a simple black strapped top instead of her usual red jacket; she could already feel the heat coming through her curtains from the morning sun. She slipped on her black shorts, packed a few hidden kunai, threw her katana over her back and started to her front door.

As she walked through the streets of konoha she imagined what she would say to him. How was she even going to break this news to him? Its not exactly something she can pop into polite conversation. She was pregnant for crying out loud and he was most definitely the father, unless some freak accident had happened before hand. As her nerves began to take over a messenger nin landed directly in front of her. She visibly jumped as he jarred her out of her thoughts. He lifted an eyebrow when he realized he had caught her of guard; that was very unlike Sakura.

"The Hokage has requested your attendance at a mission briefing." He handed her the scroll before wishing her a good day and leaping off towards the main gates. She glanced over the scroll and groaned audibly. A mission? Now? In her current state? She sighed heavily; this was not going to be fun.

xox

"Neji, we need to wait until the fourth member of your party has arrived before you go reading through all my scrolls!" Naruto barked as he snatched the mission briefings from the stoic anbu captain. The Hyuuga blinked at his empty hands.

"How very un-Hokage like of you, Naruto..." Neji smirked as he saw he'd rattled Naruto's cage. The newly appointed Hokage had the biggest dark circles under his eyes Neji had ever seen, as well as his blonde mop now on the other side of his head and his robes in complete dis-array.

"Cousin, leave Naruto alone. He's had a long few nights." Hinata stated calmly from her desk in the corner, her eyes never leaving the scrolls in front of her as she worked.

"Gomen, Hinata-sama." Neji smiled at her, letting her know it was only in jest.

"Ahhh, Naruto! When can we get this over and done with so I can finish this mission and sleep." Shikamaru yawned from his position against the wall, his Anbu mask pulled down to cover his eyes as he dozed.

"Will you both stop being so impatient! Sakura will be here any minute-"

Neji froze. "Sakura?"

"Ah, here she is now!" Naruto beamed as the door swung open and the pink haired kunoichi sauntered in. She stretched cat like and yawned loudly as she spoke.

"Gomen, Im late Naruto -" She stopped dead in her tracks as she locked eyes with the pale eyed Hyuuga in front of her. If he was just as shocked to see her as well, he didn't show it, but there was a look in his eyes that felt like he was staring straight into her soul.

_And at their unborn child. _As quickly as she had stopped, she started walking again.

"Sorry im late. Good morning, everyone." She nodded to the other people in the room. She kept her eyes straight forward at Naruto's desk but she could feel Neji's eyes burning into her back.

Naruto hadn't even looked up nor noticed the odd exchange between his two strongest Anbu members, but instead waved a hand at Sakura to acknowledge her presence.

He yawned, "Let's get this over and done with. Shikamaru, your in charge on this one. I need you to gather information from lightening country about their missing nin's whereabouts; if their anywhere near Konoha then there will be a separate mission once your all back to help track them down. Neji, your only going as extra muscle and Sakura, emergency medic-nin just in case. Leave the work down to Shikamaru. Im giving you two days; one for traveling there and back and one to gather information. Understood?"

A chorus of yes Hokage was heard and he nodded in approval, continuously scribbling onto scrolls that were scattered across his desk here there and everywhere.

"Hinata-sama, will you do a quick medical assessment to make sure their fit for travel?" Naruto looked over at his fiancé. She smiled and nodded before making her way over to Sakura. Sakura visibly paled as Hinata formed the sign with her hands to activate her Byuukagen.

"Thats not necessary, I conducted my own this morning before I came." Sakura laughed nervously as Hinata got closer still.

"It wont take a moment Sakura-san." Hinata smiled as she shut her eyes.

"No wait!" Sakura shouted as she leant forward to grab Hinata's wrist. But it was too late, Hinata's eyes were open, the veins protruding across her temples and she was staring straight at Sakura's stomach. A silence engulfed the room and Sakura felt like crying as she watched her friends face pale, her purple eyes glanced up to look into Sakura's emerald ones. She pleaded with her not to tell anyone, she tried so hard to tell her with her eyes to not say anything. Hinata saw for a split second the scared look on her friends face and second guessed her decision to tell Naruto she wasn't fit for travel. She lowered her hands and looked at Naruto.

"Sakura is fine." She said in a quiet voice, before moving on to her cousin. The pink haired nin was about to release a sigh of relief when the one man she had been dreading seeing all morning spoke up.

"No she's not, whats wrong?" He eyed Sakura carefully before looking down at his cousin. Sakura's heart stopped, of course that wouldn't get by another Hyuuga; they know each others mannerism's so well. To her surprise, Hinata huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"If you must know, cousin, Sakura is on her monthly. Which means she'll be cranky and tired but is still fit to travel. Is that ok with you?"

Sakura allowed a small smile to drift across her features as Neji blushed lightly and averted his eyes, mumbling an apology. Hinata glanced at Sakura before continuing her inspection on both Neji and Shikamaru. Whilst she relayed information to Naruto, Sakura took the opportunity to glance over her previous lover. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his tight anbu gear was all he was clad in, his swords were crossed over his back and his mask rested lightly against the side of his head. His pale eyes where staring out the window, giving her the perfect view of his chiseled features. His muscles stood out against the black of his top and moved invitingly as he shifted his weight to the other foot. Sakura felt her cheeks heat as she suddenly realized the extent of her attraction towards him, this was only accelerated as a sudden breeze blew threw the office, billowing his hair out behind him that was tied in a tight ponytail at the top of his neck. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the brief release from the heat of the day. Sakura immediately averted her attention before she fell into a puddle right there and then.

Her thoughts were broken as Naruto held the mission scrolls out to each of them. She took hers and glanced over its contents before nodding at the Hokage and turning to leave.

"Naruto, do you mind if I have a word with Sakura?" Hinata noticed Sakura freeze mid-step.

"Hai, hai" Naruto waved his hand again, still scribbling away at god knows what on his desk. Hinata turned to Sakura and it was at that moment that Sakura realized she had no idea how and when Hinata had become so... well, confident. She took Sakura by the arm, a little too roughly, and pulled her into the empty hallway. She did a quick scan with her Byuukagen to make sure they were alone before turning her hard opaque eyes onto bright emerald ones. Sakura took a nervous step backwards.

"Your pregnant!" She hissed, pointing a shaking finger at Sakura's stomach. "I mean, not fake or anything, but actually pregnant! There's an actual person inside of you!" Hinata was now gripping her hair and pulling, hard.

"Yea! Durr, im the one carrying it you think I haven't noticed?!" Sakura hissed, staring wide eyed at her friend who was now walking around in circles muttering something about the Hyuuga clan's reputation. She was freaking out more than Sakura was. Sakura jumped as the purple haired nin suddenly froze and span round, pointing her finger again.

"Its Neji's..." She breathed. Hinata was the only person that Sakura had told about that night, only because she knew she could trust one hundred percent that she wouldn't tell anyone. Also because she secretly knew that Neji would probably tell her anyway.

"Yes.." Sakura nodded, feeling tears prick the corner of her eyes. She blinked them away and turned her head so Hinata wouldn't see.

She felt a hand gently rub her arm. "Have you told him?" Hinata whispered. Sakura shook her head, pulling a face now to try so hard to not let the tears fall.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, I'll tell Naruto your not fit enough to work." Hinata turned to go back into the Hokage's office when she felt a strong grip stop her.

"No, its ok. I need to do this. I need to see him." Her emerald green eyes flashed with determination. Hinata hesitated, but nodded all the same.

"I'll have a medic-nin on hold incase you need it." Sakura smiled her appreciation before darting off down the hallway to pack her bags for the mission. As she approached the light of the exit she slowed down and placed a hand on the wall. She held a hand up to her forehead as the room span ever so slightly. She breathed deeply before opening her eyes and slowly making her way towards to the bright light of the morning sun. This mission would be harder than she thought; when women nin are pregnant, the child feeds off of their chakra rather then nutrients and other natural energies, leading them to give birth to a naturally gifted ninja. However, it takes its toll on the woman as she is not able to use her chakra to its full potential.

Sakura was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the Anbu captain before she walked straight into him. She rubbed her forehead and looked up at the concerned face of one Hyuuga Neji. She slowly stopped her actions and stared back, her breath coming in short bursts as her heart jumped out of her chest. She kept her facade clean and expressionless as her mind went into complete turmoil.

"Whats wrong?" Neji barked, a little too forcefully then he intended. That broke Sakura's stare as she scoffed heavily before pushing past him.

"None of your business..." She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut as she mentally slapped her self. But she couldn't help the anger that was bubbling up inside of her; he was supposed to come and see her! He was supposed to come and speak to her.

"Of course I care, Sakura." The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. She chuckled cruelly. She looked over her shoulder at him, her emerald eyes glaring into his opaque ones.

"Oh really? So now you care." And she left it at that. Not the best way to start their two day mission together. She cringed as she jumped through the open window of her apartment, disarming the traps before setting about packing her things and before she knew it, she was at the entrance to the hidden leave village, half-heartedly listening to the mission briefing from Shikamaru and trying to ignore the sparks of attraction between her and Neji who was standing stoically beside her.

"I said is that clear, Sakura-san?" Sakura jumped out of her thoughts and smiled at Shikamaru.

"Hai!" She comically punched the air, mimicking Lee and Gai-sensei's enthusiasm for work. Shikamaru smirked before gesturing for them to follow.

"Good! Then lets head out."

x0x

Sakura had been placed at the back of the small squad, leaving her plenty of space to stop if another dizzy spell hit without anyone noticing and also to admire the Hyuuga man at her leisure until she nearly fell off a branch from complete orgasm over load. She couldn't stop her thoughts wandering back to the night where she realized that aging over the years had done complete and utter wonders to that of the branch clan member.

_"Hey, Sakura-san! Over here!" She turned to the sound of the blonde haired screech until she spotted her waving in the crowd. Sakura smiled, drink in hand as she made her way through the hordes of people until she reached the group she had grown up with; her closest comrades were all spread out across a couple of booths in the back of the club, either holding drinks or downing them. They were celebrating the end of another year: the end of a year and the fact that they were all still alive and well was most definitely a cause for celebration. She smiled and hugged the girls tightly. _

_"Hey girls! Have I missed much?" She glanced around the club just in time to spot Hyuuga Neji's eyes roaming down her figure before he turned his attention back to the conversation he was having with Choji. She smiled quietly to herself. _

_"Sakura, girl, you brush up pretty good!" Ino joked, poking Sakura's cleavage that was on show in her coral V neck dress. It was sleeveless, dipping down low to reveal her ample breasts before synching in at the waist and then floating out to mid-thigh. Her tanned pins stretched down to the matching wedges she had strapped onto her feet. She smiled and did a small curtsey. They giggled before swapping stories and gossip they'd heard on the streets of Konoha. Hinata and Tenten were soon off dancing, tempting Naruto and Lee into the ever growing crowd and Ino was already speaking to whatever poor ninja she'd cornered at the bar. Sakura glanced around and spotted the Hyuuga Anbu captain sitting at a booth, the space next to him was free, the other side was currently occupied by a very happy Shikamaru who was currently staring at the ceiling, smoking what smelled to Sakura as definitely not cigarettes. She looked at the Hyuuga again, he was eyeing the crowd, his feet tapping along to the booming music in the club. She smirked as his eyes caught hers. He returned the cat like grin, allowing his eyes to wander again, thinking she wouldn't notice. She downed her drink as she sauntered over to him, placing the glass down on a passing table she kept her eyes glued to his opaque ones until she was sitting right next to him. It was probably most definitely the alcohol speaking, but she felt that it was necessary to confront her feelings for him. _

_"Hey." She smiled. _

_"Hey." He smiled back, leaning forwards onto his elbow so that his back was to Shikamaru and his body almost completely enveloped around her. His smile was like liquid gold and she suddenly felt a lump in a throat as she realized she had no idea what to say to this man. Apparently words were not needed as he reached forward and tucked a pink lock behind her ear, his fingers dragging gently across her cheek as he pulled away. _

_"You look gorgeous tonight." He murmured. She smiled prettily, her eyes half lidded as a blush spread across her cheeks. _

_"Well when I dressed, I had someone in mind." She teased, wrinkling her nose cutely. inside she cringed; what on earth did she just say? Whilst she mentally smacked her head into the corresponding wall she failed to notice Neji slowly leaning forwards. _

_"I hope to god that person was me or Im leaving right now." He chuckled, he was so close now she could feel his warmth radiating onto her as his breath washed over her neck. He reached a hand out and placed it gently on her thigh. As soon as their skin touched, a jolt of pleasure sprang through her. She visibly jumped, looking at him in shock. He looked back at her equally surprised, before a grin began to spread its way across his face. _

_"Did you feel that?" She breathed, her hand coming up to cup his cheek gently. He merely nodded, before grabbing the back of her head and pulling her sharply forwards so that their lips met in a fierce kiss. She could vaguely hear Ino screaming in the background about forehead getting with Hyuuga but she was only aware of the beautifully smooth lips caressing hers at that moment in time. She pulled back for air, panting beautifully. _

_She grinned. "Your place or mine?"_

"SAKURA! Look out!"

Sakura jumped out of her thoughts, her head snapped up just in time to see the large branch she was about to smack head first in to.

"Shit!" she cursed. At the last minute she swung herself down, grabbing hold of the branch with her hands as she tried to swing around it and land on the following one but her miss-judgement paid a hefty price as her hands raked down the branch and she plummeted instead. She gasped as she felt the air rush past her, she reached up only to miss Shikamaru's out stretched hand by centimeters, the shock on his face was readable as she fell. She quickly shut her eyes and waited for the impact that would undoubtably be painful.

It never came, instead she felt someone slam into her side before they both tumbled across the grassy floor of the forest they were traveling through. She grimaced as they rolled into a messy heap against a tree trunk. She groaned as she rolled onto her back, quickly scanning her body for signs of life, she felt a small chakra signal prick her stomach and she sighed; the baby was ok. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up gently, rubbing her sore head. She squinted over to the person who had saved her and saw Neji sat up against the tree trunk, gritting his teeth as he held his left side. He groaned as he sat forward, glancing up at her.

"Are you ok?" He asked. She nodded, her eyebrows creasing as she looked at the blood that was beginning to pool onto his Anbu vest.

"Neji, your ribs!" She crawled forwards and gently removed his hands from squeezing his side anymore. Shikamaru dropped down beside them.

"Are you guys ok?!" He dropped to his knee's next to Neji. "Great..." he muttered, noticing the blood. He began to put Neji over his shoulders as he stood up. "Theres a cave nearby, you can heal him there and rest whilst I finish the mission, ok?" He looked back at Sakura. "Sakura... your hands.." She looked down and suddenly wished she hadn't. From where they'd raked against the rough bark of the tree there wasn't much of the top layer of skin left, blood was pooling into the creases and dripping all over herself and onto the floor. There was some cartilage visible and a few small bones from where there were fractures and breaks. She choked back the bile in her throat as the pain began to set in.

"You can't heal like that. We need to get you both out of the open so I can treat you."

Ten minutes later and Shikamaru was now climbing up the cliff face and this time with Sakura on his back. She cried out as her hands were pressed against his chest.

"Gomen, Sakura-san, just hold on a little longer!" Shikamaru gritted through his teeth as he pulled them both up to the ledge that led into the small cave that was often used by passing nin to rest in and recover their strength. Luckily for them, it was empty as it was now early afternoon. He gently placed Sakura down next to Neji against the cave wall before he began rooting around in Sakura's bag for her medic-kit.

"I'll do the best I can to stop infections and help the pain but theres not much I can do until we get back to Konoha or unless you can heal sooner." Shikamaru said to them as he started on Neji's ribs. Sakura instructed him as best she could, telling him to tighten the bandages or heal the smaller scratches surrounding the larger breaks to make the healing process easier. Neji's breathing was pained and labored and Sakura knew that she needed to use her chakra to heal him at some point otherwise one of the breaks will puncture a lung. She shut her eyes and concentrated on her hands.

_Please just let me heal myself so I can heal him. _She pleaded with the small baby that was growing inside of her. Her hands began to glow and she watched and concentrated carefully as her skin and bones began to knit back together. Once she was finished she sighed in relief that no dizziness or nausea had hit her and she kneeled next to Shikamaru to finish helping with Neji. Shikamaru glanced at her.

"Well done, can you finish here whilst I continue with the mission? I need to get to the Lightenings Base Camp before evening sets in." She nodded quietly as she injected Neji's side. He winced and grabbed her wrist, trying to pull the needle out.

"It will help stop any infection." She hissed at him, throwing his arm aside. She was still mad as hell, even though he just saved her life.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning to pick you up ok? . I'll leave a sign downstairs to let people know that this cave is occupied and move on to the next post. Get a fire started, you wont need to keep watch either as this is a safe zone. Oh, and keep this, its got my food rations and extra blankets in it." Shikamaru tossed his pack to Sakura. She caught it with ease and nodded at him.

"Arigatou, Shikamaru." He nodded, before dropping out of the cave entrance and into the tree-tops below. She sighed heavily, her eyes lids beginning to drop as the exertion of chakra took its toll on her body. She yawned as she turned back to Neji. His breathing was easier and he was staring at the cave wall opposite, averting his gaze away from hers. As she worked, they didn't speak. Her glowing hands rubbed gentle circles into his side as she concentrated on sewing his broken bones back together. Neji couldn't help the subtle pink tinge that spread through his cheeks, having her this close reminded him of the night they had spent together.

_She pounced on him as her front door slammed behind them. He caught her with ease and lifted her up, wrapping her thighs tightly around his waist as they stumbled back against the wall. Her kisses were desperate, gripping his face tightly as she assaulted his mouth with those perfectly pouted lips. He gripped her behind, rubbing their groins together as he thrust forward. She gasped against his mouth and opened her eyes. _

_"Are you sure?" She whispered, the look in her eyes told him that if he said no she would probably punch him through the wall. Its a good thing he only had one answer in mind. He threw her bedroom door open and dropped her on the bed, he climbed on top of her, parted her legs and kissed her fiercely, all the while stripping her down to her underwear, his hands roaming freely wherever they pleased. He pulled away and rest his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. He grinned. _

_"Yes."_

"Neji!" He jumped and looked at the exhausted pink haired nin beside him. "How do you feel now?" She pointed to his chest. He shifted around and stretched, apart from being tired and stiff (in both sense's), he felt no more pain. He nodded to her, words seemingly vanishing from his vocabulary. She stared at him, no expression left on her face.

"Good." She muttered, before pulling herself up and dragging Shikamaru's pack with her. She pulled a blanket out and wrapped herself in it before plopping down on the other side of the cave and promptly drifted in and out of sleep. He sighed, rubbing his temples gently as he tried to figure out how their both going to survive this night. He opted for starting a fire as he eyed the afternoon beginning to darken. He must of fallen asleep as she healed him. He looked over at her again as he made his way towards the cave entrance.

"Im just going to get some firewood." He said in her general direction, but his voice sounded quiet and timid and not at all how he wanted to sound. He could see her breathing was slightly labored and her muscles were stiff with tension which meant she wasn't asleep but yet still hadn't acknowledged his presence. Just as he turned to jump, a small 'ok' made its way to his ears.

Sakura's dreams were vivid and disturbing as she tossed and turned on the cave floor. One minute she was dreaming Neji and her were making love again and then the next his blood was all over her hands as she tried to revive him on the battlefield. The smell of food cooking made her stomach grumble as her lids opened slowly to be greeted with the sight of Neji poking a stick in a pan as he muttered something to himself about cooking and "this is why women should do it". For that split second in time, she forgot about everything and smiled gently as she watched him faff around the fire, trying to put some sort of dinner together. She sat up carefully, letting the blanket pool around her waist. Neji didn't look up but had stopped his mumbling and was now concentrating far too hard on the fire in front of him. She stood up and stretched, reveling her stomach slightly, she subconsciously pulled her top down to cover it up again before padding over to her pack that was sitting near Neji. She rummaged around for her water and grabbed a granola bar before placing herself opposite him and warming her hands on the slowly fading fire. An uncomfortable silence filled the void they were in as Sakura wrung her hands nervously.

"Um..." Neji started. "I tried to make dinner. Im not really sure what its supposed to be, but-"

"Why didn't you come and see me?!" She shouted, glaring at him with fierce emerald orbs. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, slight shock evident on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again as he realized he had no answer for that.

"You were supposed to come and speak to me.." She muttered, letting her head fall into her hands as she rubbed her temples.

"Im sorry, Sakura. I was... busy."

"Busy my ass! I work at the hospital, genius, you were there most the week so that excuse doesn't cover it. Any others?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't have any excuses, Sakura. That night was all I could think about on the mission I was on. I wasn't expecting to be sent away for four weeks, either. I guess by the time I got back to Konoha I thought you would of moved on and not wanted to see me." He was poking the food around the pan a little harder than necessary now. Sakura sighed heavily.

"Neji, theres something I need to tell you..."

"See, I knew it. You've met someone else haven't you?" He pointed the stick at her. She frowned at him, pushing it aside.

"Thats not it-"

"Its ok if it is, I can cope. Im not a child!" He scoffed, going back to butchering the food.

"Neji, will you please just listen-"

"No, its ok. I told you, Im fine."

"Neji, please! will you just let me-"

He waved the stick in the air. "Im sure that night meant nothing to -"

"Im pregnant, you idiot!" she screeched, breathing heavily as she stood up. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes as she stared at him. He'd stopped mid-poke in the fire, the stick now catching fire as he stared wide eyed at the licking flames. He blinked and then turned his gaze to her slowly. He swallowed heavily.

"I-Its mine?" He choked. Sakura nodded, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks as she defensively folder her arms across her chest, rubbing the goosebumps that were now rising over her arms

"The reason im telling you is because I need you to help me to pay for-" She stopped cold as she stared down at Neji who was now kneeling in front of her. His eyes were locked on her stomach. For what felt like an age, they didn't move, until Neji gently rose up onto his knee's, turned his head and pressed his ear against her uterus. Sakura couldn't help the tears from falling as she sobbed. She sniffed as she stared down at the man who was currently holding her by the waist as he seemingly tried to listen for something. He pulled back and stared at her stomach again, gently prodding.

"Fascinating..." He murmured. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

"You know, for someone thats just had some pretty shocking and life-changing news, you don't seem that bothered!"

He stood up and looked at her. His eyes seemingly searching for something, an answer to his next question most probably.

"What do you want to do?" He whispered, the gravity of the situation beginning to weigh on his shoulders. HE began to shake, his hands were gripping his shoulders as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Im not ready for this, Neji. Im not ready to be a mum..." She muttered, turning her head away to avoid his gaze. She felt him nod, before he pulled her into a gentle hug. She sighed heavily, resting her head onto his chest and listening to his heart beat softly underneath the warmth of his skin. She felt her nerves calm as she breathed in his scent.

"We'll sort this out once we're back, ok? I promise." He said, rubbing circles in her back to loosen her hardened muscles. She pulled away from him as she felt a dizzy spell coming on, except this time the room didn't stop spinning. She pushed herself away from him as she stumbled over to the side of the cave and promptly emptied the contents of her meager meal onto the stone floor. She coughed, her stomach cramping as she tried to slow her breathing. The chakra signal in her stomach was fading rapidly.

"Shit!" She cursed as the room began to darken. She placed her hand on the wall, trying to steady herself. She felt something wet between her legs and looked down to see blood pouring down her thighs. She could hear Neji shouting in the background, his arms were around her in a second before she collapsed into a heap on the floor and let the world around her go black.

xox

She winced, the icy stabbing in her head throbbed painfully as she groaned, shifting around she felt the soft comforters of white cotton and a mattress underneath her frame. She slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the blinding light of the hospital ceilings and she immediately understood why her patients complained so much. She made a mental note to be more considerate the next time someone asks her to dim the lights. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes focus. The first thing she saw were hundreds of bouquets of flowers. She wrinkled her nose and the colourful sight; she was never one for sympathy. The next thing she noticed was a hand clasped around her fingers. She looked down and saw a mop of black hair sprayed across her lap. Neji's face was peaceful as he slept, snoring softly. There were noticeable rings under his eyes and he clearly hadn't been home for a while as his anbu clothes were stained with what looked like blood. She smiled softly, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb.

"You know, I wasn't at all surprised when he demanded to stay."

She turned to see Tsunade sitting on the seat on her other side.

"Tsunade-sama!" The older woman smiled at her, her eyes lighting up at seeing her pupil awake and well again.

"How are you feeling Sakura-san?"

"Ive been better. What happened?"

Tsunade leant forward, she held Sakura's other hand gently. She breathed a heavy sigh, before looking up into the emerald eyes that she had looked into so many times before and suddenly realized she had no idea how to break this news to her.

"Sakura, Im so sorry." She started. "You had a miscarriage. The exertion of chakra you used to heal yourself and Neji was too much for the baby."

Sakura stared at her mentor. She felt numb. She had no idea how to react, no immediate emotion made its self known to her so she just stared until her eyes started to water and she had to blink. She felt the bed shift beside her and looked up into the tired eyes of Hyuuga Neji. It was then that the emotion hit her, full force. She choked on a sob as tears of confusion and despair spilled down her cheeks. She threw herself onto Neji's shoulder as she wailed. He smoothed her hair down, muttering soothing words into her ear as he cradled her. He looked up Tsunade who was wiping her eyes on the back of her hand, brushing the grey hairs out of her face as she averted her eyes from the scene in front of her.

"I'll leave you two, to it. Sakura, I will be back soon to do a last check and then you will be free to go." She gripped her hand. "Im here if you need me." She smiled softly, kissing her on the cheek before taking her leave.

Sakura sniffed, leaning her head back onto Neji's shoulder as she shut her eyes, pushing the turmoil of emotions out of her head to try and relax and figure out how she felt. Before she knew it, her eyes had shut again and she drifted through a world of Neji and a child with snow white eyes.

xox

Four weeks passed as Sakura stepped into her steaming hot shower, her morning routine now back to how it had been before she became pregnant; relief washed over her as she felt no morning sickness. She towel dried herself carefully before pulling on her usual ninja gear, setting her traps for the day she headed out into the morning heat of the village of Konoha. She spotted the blonde mop and tousled brown hair of her fellow kunoichi sitting outside their favourite cafe. She smiled gratefully as she jogged over, taking her place in the sun.

"About time forehead, we've got to go to work soon!" Ino scoffed as she sipped her coffee, running her fingers over the pages of a scroll as she reviewed her mission briefing.

"You know you shouldn't be mission briefing in public, Ino!" Sakura scowled, quickly covering the contents of the mission with her hands, eyeing the surrounding people.

"Oh please!" Ino laughed. "We're in the middle of Konoha, whose going to want to know about some crummy class A mission. Besides, its an information retrieval mission. Nothing exciting." She mumbled the last part around the rim of her mug. Sakura raised an eyebrow before turning her attention to the half asleep kunoichi to her left.

"Tenten?" Said brunette yawned loudly, her cat like tendencies present as she scratched behind an ear. Her hair was out of its buns and lapping around her shoulders in the pleasant morning breeze. She eyes Sakura through the corner of one of her closed eyes.

"Morning, Sakura-san. Ive just got back from a mission. Team Gai had a retrieval mission to capture dangerous missing-nin." She yowled again, this time covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She lay her forehead on the table in front of her and promptly pretended to sleep.

At the mention of Team Gai, Sakura flushed prettily, her thoughts moving to the long haired Anbu who she'd been dating as of last week. It was safe to say that after everything they'd been through it would of been strange to part ways and never speak again. They were tied by an invisible bond and no matter how hard they tried they were inseparable now. She looked up as she felt a familiar chakra signal approach and smiled shyly as Neji approached. His hand landed on tenten's shoulder.

"All done, you can go to bed now." He smiled at her as she awoke with a start and nodded her thanks before placing her head comfortably back on the table to nap. Lavender eyes found emerald and he smiled warmly as she twinkled in the morning sun.

"I'll pick you up at seven for dinner?" He said, walking to her side. She nodded as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Oh please keep the affection at a bay before my coffee makes a surprise re-appearance." Ino chimed in, placing her mug back on the table a little too firmly. Sakura's giggles turned into full blown laughter as Ino started to shout at her, flicking her wrists in every direction as her anger grew towards Sakura's continued humour. Neji smiled at the two, his hand firmly in Sakura's as she continued to antagonize her friend.

He looked to the sky, the sun was now beating down onto the heads of busy villagers as people went about their morning business and for the first time in a long time, with his hand near her heart and the invisible bond cementing their life's together, he felt like he finally belonged.

xox

I hope you enjoyed it :) I may do a spin off chapter of what happens in a couple of months time down the line if you guys want it or request it.


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